


When I Press My Ear to Your Heart, I Hear the Ocean

by groundedreamer



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, haru just loves mako a lot, inspired by the picture of them on the beach
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-02 10:49:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5245496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/groundedreamer/pseuds/groundedreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of unrelated, almost related one-shots of Haru pining after his best friend.</p><p>...<br/>Makoto looked so content, so relaxed in that moment. The setting sun gave his skin a warm glow and made the freckles underneath his eyes stand out. His hands were buried in the sand, just inches from Haru's own.</p><p>Haru wishes he could close the distance between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this sitting around for a while and figured I'd just post what I have so far.
> 
> This was inspired by the picture of them sitting on the beach in the training camp episode.
> 
> This is really just self-indulgent stuff because I love looking at how much Haru loves Makoto.

They were sitting on the beach. The great sky in front of them burned with orange, purple, and red. Makoto shifted and turned his head towards Haru. He smiled, so gently, that it made Haru's heart soar and drop at the same time. Makoto looked so content, so relaxed in that moment. The setting sun gave his skin a warm glow and made the freckles underneath his eyes stand out. His hands were buried in the sand, just inches from Haru's own. 

Haru felt warm all over. Happy, like he was snuggled in his favorite blanket after a bath. He gave Makoto his own small smile and leaned forward. But before he could even move an inch, Makoto was standing up. 

Haru blinked, confused. Makoto smiled down at him. He held out a hand to Haru. 

"Come on, Haru-chan. It's getting late."

Haru looked around them. The last ray of light was disappearing underneath the ocean. He could barely see anything. Gou and Nagisa yelled at them to eat dinner in the distance. Haru's expression returned to neutral, squashing the disappointed feeling in his chest. He took Makoto's hand. 

"Drop the chan," he muttered. He looked into Makoto's eyes as he pulled him up, but nothing gave him away. In the pale light from the stars, Makoto still looked relaxed and content. His usually light green eyes were dark. But his eyelids drooped at the corners, making him look sleepy, happy, like a cat that had just woken from a nap. Haru looked away and exhaled sharply through his nose. 

Makoto laughed and let go of his hand. Haru almost reached out to hold it again, but stopped himself, knowing that Makoto wouldn't know what he was trying to say. Makoto turned first and Haru took his place beside him, between him and the ocean. 

They walked silently. The noise of the others grew louder in Haru's ears and he suddenly wanted to leave. Get out, go for a swim. Maybe not come back until he made sense of the mess inside his chest. 

He leaned forward at the beach. In the mornings. After breakfast. Before jogging. As Makoto said goodnight. 

He was always leaning forward. Swaying closer and closer because that's where he wanted to be. Right in front of Makoto, breathing in his smell of home, the sea, everything Haru knew and loved. 

Leaning in closer until maybe their lips touched and he finally knew the taste of happiness. 

Haru leaned forward, but Makoto pulled back. 

Haru looked at the expanse of Makoto's back as he walked two steps in front of him. His skin glowed in the darkness. _Two steps out of reach_. 

But he wasn't so far as to leave him behind. Not so far that he couldn't stay by his side, in any way he could.

Haru took those two steps and met Makoto, shoulder-to-shoulder. Makoto looked down at him, lips curving in the darkness. Haru only glanced at him and looked away. _It's fine this way_ , he told himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quiet moment after Makoto almost drowns

Later, Makoto was huddled in on himself, shaking from the cold he still felt. Haru sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. His heart twinged at the sight of Makoto’s hunched back and he dragged a blanket from the hotel bed. Gou and Amakata-sensei slept on the other bed, while Nagisa and Rei cuddled on the floor. It was raining again. 

"Here." Haru stepped out onto the balcony next to Makoto. Close, but not enough to touch. 

Haru lifted his arms to drape the heavy blanket around Makoto's shoulders, noting how the ends were already heavy with water. Makoto didn't notice. He was watching the storm rage with transfixed eyes. The droplets from the balcony overhead dripped on Makoto's head. Haru sighed.

He pushed the wet hair back from Makoto's face and pulled him back so he was out of the rain's reach. Makoto flinched at the sudden presence of Haru's hand around his arm. 

Haru dropped his hand. "Sorry," he muttered. But Makoto caught his hand and put it to his hair. He leaned into it and then looked back at the storm. Haru stood frozen, his fingers resting in Makoto's tangled, rough hair. He looked at Makoto's mesmerized face. His green eyes were faraway and Haru was reminded again of Makoto's small face at the fisherman's funeral. He began combing through Makoto's hair, gently pulling so it lay flat again. Makoto made a noise and moved closer, carefully resting his head against Haru's shoulder. Haru's hand paused for a moment before he continued to stroke Makoto's hair, soft and slow. Makoto's eyes were closed now. His chest rose and fell slowly as he took deep breaths of the rain-soaked air.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Random moment

_It's meaningless without you too!_

Haru wants to yell sometimes. 

Every time Makoto smiles and asks if he wants to have lunch on the roof. Whenever Makoto falls asleep on his table, his arms pillowed underneath his head and glasses pressing into his face. After they almost get kicked out of another store because Haru tried to strip again. Makoto trying to give his usual long-winded lecture, but laughing too much to sound serious.

Haru flips through the photo album, thumbing through page after page of their life together. Makoto laughs next to him.

"Do you remember this one Haru-chan?" he says, pointing to one of them covered in paint. 

"Mmm," Haru says. His finger strokes the edge. "You started it." 

He's referring to their impromptu paint fight. 6-year-old Makoto had firmly pressed his blue hand into Haru's cheek, giggled, and said it matched his eyes. Haru, of course, could only respond. He has found browns, greens, and pink to paint his friend. The end result: both of them shame-faced and the deck behind them covered in color was captured forever.

"Only because I wanted to see if the color matched," Makoto said earnestly. Haru saw the mischievous glint in his eye and snorted. He flipped the page. 

Makoto was sitting next to him, a little more than half a foot away. Close enough so the edges of the album rested on both of their thighs, but no closer than that. Haru wondered how Makoto knew all fifteen meanings of _"Drop the chan_ and, even more impressive, the countless ways Haru said _"Makoto"_ , but couldn't hear what Haru has been trying to say the longest.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'll miss you so much," Makoto cooed. "I'll think about you all day, okay?" 

Haru snorted next to him. Makoto looked up from petting their (unofficial) white cat and pouted. "Haru-chan, don't be mean." Haru huffed and looked away. Makoto knew Haru always thought he went overboard on the baby talk. But it wasn't his fault he couldn't help it. Their kitten had grown up so well and Makoto was so happy she was healthy and hearty. He leaned in closer to the cat.

"I bet Haru-chan is jealous," he said to her in a conspiratorial tone. Makoto felt the irritation roll off of Haru without even looking at his face. The cat chirped and nosed at Makoto's fingers. Makoto gave her another scratch on the head and stood up, dusting his pants. "Okay, Haru, I'm going." Haru still had his face turned to the side. His eyebrows were pushed together slightly and Makoto could recognize the downturn of his mouth anywhere. He laughed. "Awww, is Haru-chan feeling left out?" Makoto's hand twitched up, towards Haru's head. He was about to pull it back to his side out of reflex, but threw caution to the wind and reached out to ruffle Haru's hair. 

"I'll think about you all day too, Haru." 

He caught Haru's shocked expression before he turned and ran down the stairs to school, taking them two at a time. Makoto's heart raced as he flew down the stairs. He was scared he'd trip with the speed he was going, but he couldn't stop, not when his entire body felt like it was burning from the inside out.

 _Well_ , he thought, _it's not like I was lying._

Makoto slapped his cheeks. _Not now, Makoto, not now._ But he was always thinking about Haru. Haru, Haru-chan, Haruka.

**Author's Note:**

> Give me a holler at montgomery-rain.tumblr.com to talk about makoharu or iwaoi or whatever


End file.
